Band members hit streets Sunday for fundraiser

The Grandview Heights Band Parents Association will hold its annual decal drive Sunday night, July 29.

ALAN FROMAN, ThisWeek Community News

The Grandview Heights Band Parents Association will hold its annual decal drive Sunday night, July 29.

Members of the Grandview Heights High School marching band will visit each home in Grandview and Marble Cliff to sell stickers residents can purchase to show their support for the band program.

Proceeds from the sale will benefit both the high school and middle school band programs, association President Brian Ball said.

Band members will begin canvassing the community at 6 p.m. after enjoying a dinner at the high school provided by band parents.

"We're looking for any donation amount, whatever they can afford to give," Ball said. "If it's a dollar, they get a decal; If it's $100, they get a decal."

Band members will leave envelopes for mail-in donations for residents who are not home.

Last year's decal drive raised about $10,000, Ball said -- about 10 percent more than the previous year's collection. The event serves as the main fundraiser for the band parents association, which also raises funds through the annual Cake Walk and by selling concessions at football games.

The 2011 decal drive was held on a Sunday for the first time in the event's history.

"We usually held the drive on a Monday, but last year the first fall sports practices fell on that Monday," Ball said. "We were worried about moving to Sunday, but we ended up getting about 10 percent more in donations."

The band parents group uses the funds raised through the decal drive to help subsidize the cost of band camp, which was held this week, he said.

Funds also are used to help pay for the cost of maintaining uniforms, hats and instruments and for any other band-related expense not covered in the school district's budget, Ball said.

Approximately 127 students attended this year's band camp, and about one-third of high school students participate in the marching band, he said.